Genesis 45:8
Now, therefore, it was not you who sen me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
The planets have just aligned. Joseph’s childhood dream has just been fulfilled. The one in which his brothers would bow down to him. The people whom he would most want to impress witness him at the top. Those that betrayed him are in his hands. I’m sure he knew he would see them again. I’m curious how he imagined it. I would think that he pictured it differently in various stages of his life. When he was younger, I would assume it might include punishment. Later on, he possibly saw them giving great thanks to him intermixed with apologies. Both of these are natural, but fantasies of the immature. The first one wanted justice. When we feel pain, particularly if it was caused by another, we want them to feel it as well. Later on, we might not want them “to pay”, but we would want an apology; an acknowledgement that they did us wrong. Joseph probably went through those stages. However, he is in a much different place. He factors God into the equation. Yes, their actions were meant to hurt him. But Joseph elevated his perspective to see that God controls events. He tells them that God sent him to Egypt. The lifelong script of blame was not in him. This is great faith. He credits God. It almost as if he saw the Potifar years and the prison years as necessary apprenticeships. I’m sure there were times of pain, but they weren’t manufactured into bitterness.
We are to trust God with our lives. They rarely go how we plan. Hurtful things happen. The natural thing is to wallow in sorrow and pity, all the while we plan our revenge. We need to see these times as training. I can’t say it’s for a future job, but I can say that God works all things for the good. Our attitude needs to elevate above the human plane. Who could have imaged that Joseph’s prison time would have been for the good. So, we don’t need to understand how our situation makes sense. This is not easy. I can still feel the residue of past hurts. Fortunately, as we yield to God and read His Word, He fills us with His love and forgiveness. Thank You, Lord, that we are Your workmanship.